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Miss Sarah Jack of Spanish Town, Jamaica By: Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) |
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MISS SARAH JACK, OF SPANISH TOWN, JAMAICA by Anthony Trollope
There is nothing so melancholy as a country in its decadence, unless
it be a people in their decadence. I am not aware that the latter
misfortune can be attributed to the Anglo Saxon race in any part of
the world; but there is reason to fear that it has fallen on an
English colony in the island of Jamaica. Jamaica was one of those spots on which fortune shone with the full
warmth of all her noonday splendour. That sun has set; whether for
ever or no none but a prophet can tell; but as far as a plain man may
see, there are at present but few signs of a coming morrow, or of
another summer. It is not just or proper that one should grieve over the misfortunes
of Jamaica with a stronger grief because her savannahs are so lovely,
her forests so rich, her mountains so green, and he rivers so rapid;
but it is so. It is piteous that a land so beautiful should be one
which fate has marked for misfortune. Had Guiana, with its flat,
level, unlovely soil, become poverty stricken, one would hardly
sorrow over it as one does sorrow for Jamaica. As regards scenery she is the gem of the western tropics. It is
impossible to conceive spots on the earth's surface more gracious to
the eye than those steep green valleys which stretch down to the
south west from the Blue Mountain peak towards the sea; and but
little behind these in beauty are the rich wooded hills which in the
western part of the island divide the counties of Hanover and
Westmoreland. The hero of the tale which I am going to tell was a
sugar grower in the latter district, and the heroine was a girl who
lived under that Blue Mountain peak. The very name of a sugar grower as connected with Jamaica savours of
fruitless struggle, failure, and desolation. And from his earliest
growth fruitless struggle, failure, and desolation had been the lot
of Maurice Cumming. At eighteen years of age he had been left by his
father sole possessor of the Mount Pleasant estate, than which in her
palmy days Jamaica had little to boast of that was more pleasant or
more palmy. But those days had passed by before Roger Cumming, the
father of our friend, had died. These misfortunes coming on the head of one another, at intervals of
a few years, had first stunned and then killed him. His slaves rose
against him, as they did against other proprietors around him, and
burned down his house and mills, his homestead and offices. Those
who know the amount of capital which a sugar grower must invest in
such buildings will understand the extent of this misfortune. Then
the slaves were emancipated. It is not perhaps possible that we,
now a days, should regard this as a calamity; but it was quite
impossible that a Jamaica proprietor of those days should not have
done so. Men will do much for philanthropy, they will work hard,
they will give the coat from their back; nay the very shirt from
their body; but few men will endure to look on with satisfaction
while their commerce is destroyed. But even this Mr. Cumming did bear after a while, and kept his
shoulder to the wheel. He kept his shoulder to the wheel till that
third misfortune came upon him till the protection duty on Jamaica
sugar was abolished. Then he turned his face to the wall and died. His son at this time was not of age, and the large but lessening
property which Mr. Cumming left behind him was for three years in the
hands of trustees. But nevertheless Maurice, young as he was,
managed the estate. It was he who grew the canes, and made the
sugar; or else failed to make it. He was the "massa" to whom the
free negroes looked as the source from whence their wants should be
supplied, notwithstanding that, being free, they were ill inclined to
work for him, let his want of work be ever so sore. Mount Pleasant had been a very large property... Continue reading book >>
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Fiction |
Literature |
Short stories |
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